When I was a kid, I was fascinated with the idea of miniature people and how fun it would be to shrink down and play with my toys as though they were regular sized. Like how fun it would be to ride inside my dad's Christmas train set, for instance.
"The Indian in the Cupboard" captured that same feeling when I watched it, along with the added intrigue of interacting with history.
A young boy puts regular toys into a cupboard, then after locking and unlocking it, they come to life with all the knowledge of real people from various times in history. The most prominent toys to come to life are the titular Iroquois Little Bear (Litefoot) and a cowboy named Boohoo Boone (David Keith).
The idea of a cupboard bringing toys to life by plucking real people out of their time period is a fun and fascinating idea that's been stuck in my brain so long that even thinking about it gives me '90s nostalgia.
Another thing I find interesting is that Litefoot insisted on having an Onondaga expert to make Little Bear's performance as culturally accurate as possible. That sort of representation is always interesting to me.
I admit, even with the nostalgia, I still found the movie boring sometimes. But it's worth watching at least once for its creativity and how it invokes a sense of childish wonder.
The movie features bard Edgin Darvis (Chris Pine), barbarian Holga Kilgore (Michelle Rodriguez), half-elf sorcerer Simon Aumar (Justice Smith), and tiefling druid Doric (Sophia Lillis) going on an adventure to save Edgin's daughter (Chloe Coleman) from a former ally (Hugh Grant) who's working with a Red Wizard (Daisy Head).
"Honor Among Thieves" includes a lot of exposition through flashbacks and dialogue, but rather than making the movie drag, it actually feels like a nod to the game since detailed backstory exposition is common in D&D.
Likewise, the movie takes place in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting, so nothing is lacking in the world-building department and a variety of interesting creatures and characters are seamlessly woven into the narrative.
There's also a lot of punchy comedy involved, particularly from Pine, Rodriguez, and Grant. And there's a lot of interesting character development, though it is sometimes pushed through exposition, which makes it feel a bit rushed for some characters more so than others.
Either way, I had fun while watching "Honor Among Thieves," and that's the main thing a movie should strive for.
"A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving" has become a staple of Thanksgiving tradition in homes across the United States and beyond since its 1973 debut.
Even in years when I don't watch the special, I inevitably end up thinking about it either because of the nostalgia or because of the characters' inclusion in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
"A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving" showcases Charlie, Linus, Snoopy, and Woodstock preparing a makeshift meal for their friends after Peppermint Patty invites herself and others over to Charlie and Sally's home for dinner.
The special comedically offers a nice message about friendship and being thankful, and it continues the tradition of holiday themed Peanuts specials started by "A Charlie Brown Christmas" and "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown."
And despite recent misunderstanding, Franklin's chair breaking was a plot device used to spotlight him since he doesn't have as many quirks as the other kids and having him separated from other characters may have been a way to give a better view of the incident.
If you haven't done your yearly viewing of "A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving" yet, here's your reminder.
"The Marvels" is a fun return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe's team up movies as it works to develop its titular characters.
The movie sees Carol Danvers' Captain Marvel (Brie Larson) team up with her newly superpowered niece Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris) and her biggest fan, Kamala Khan's Ms. Marvel (Iman Vellani). The team up is caused by their entangled powers causing them to switch places.
The chemistry between the three of them is great as they navigate how best to manage their entangled powers and resolve personal issues while trying to save various planets from Dar-Benn's (Zawe Ashton) destructive actions.
Ms. Marvel in particular really shines in the movie as the plot picks up right where her series' first season ended. She breathes a new life and sense of enthusiasm into a long-running saga of Marvel movies.
Likewise, Captain Marvel seems to have gained a lot of character development. More of what she's been doing the last 30 years is brought forth and there's more exploration of how those experiences have impacted her and her relationship with Monica.
Captain Marvel even has moments when she takes responsibility for her current and past actions, which is refreshing when compared with the weirdly immature mistakes and lack of responsibility that seem to be running rampant with the older generation of superheroes post-"Endgame."
The one issue I have with the movie is that Captain Marvel's character development feels sudden and Monica's feels non-existent. A second "Captain Marvel" movie and perhaps a separate movie establishing Monica as her Photon, Pulsar, or Spectrum identity could've fixed that.
Roughly 30 years of Captain Marvel's history is skimmed and abridged, leaving me with context questions and a desire to see more of her adventures. Dar-Benn's motivation as a villain, which is closely tied with that history, ends up feeling lackluster as a result.
Similarly, very little is acknowledged about Monica that wasn't already addressed in "WandaVision," she hasn't explored her powers much since then, and her identity isn't solidified beyond her connection to her mother (Lashana Lynch) and Captain Marvel.
This issue isn't exclusive to "The Marvels" though. Both Marvel and DC have recently fallen into a pattern of skipping solo movies in favor of major team ups. Unfortunately, this comes at the expense of the character development that made the "Avengers" movies so satisfying leading up to "Endgame."
I am hopeful for the future though, especially after seeing where Monica, Ms. Marvel, and Captain Marvel end up by the time the credits finish rolling. The fun and character development that made the original "Avengers" movies work seems to be reignited by the end of the movie.
"The Goonies" is a much beloved adventure comedy from 1985 that features a group of kids and teens searching for legendary pirate One-Eyed Willy's treasure in the tunnels beneath their town after finding a treasure map, all while being pursued by criminals who want the treasure too.
My family loves this movie and we watched it all the time when I was younger. To this day, we'll sometimes randomly blurt out "hey you guys" the same way Sloth (John Matuszak) does in the movie, along with a variety of other one-liners.
The movie even features a star-studded cast including Sean Astin, Josh Brolin, Corey Feldman, and Ke Huy Quan, among others.
But what I really love about the movie is the genuine sense of adventure, the childish wonder as the characters explore the tunnels, and the mostly convincing practical effects. Even without nostalgic bias, I feel like "The Goonies" has a lot of things that are missing in current non-superhero movies.
The movie does of course have some stereotypical vestiges, like the way it pokes fun at Data's (Ke Huy Quan) accent and Chunk's (Jeff Cohen) weight, but it's still representative of how kids would interact at that age, especially at the time, so those vestiges are somewhat negligible.
"The Goonies" is a movie worth watching for anyone who loves a good adventure movie with a dose of nostalgia. If you like things like "National Treasure" and "Stranger Things," you'll like "The Goonies."
Much like the classic "Goonies never say die" line, the fun of this movie never dies.
The "Five Nights at Freddy's" movie, which premiered in theaters Oct. 27 and on Peacock Oct. 26, is everything I hoped for when the movie was announced.
The movie is based on the video game franchise of the same name, particularly the first game, though the movie does include characters and lore from later installments as well.
And despite necessary changes for the sake of adaptation, the movie actually sticks close to the soul of the games, most likely because game developer Scott Cawthon was involved in the screenplay, story, and production of the movie.
The casting and cameos in particular are amazing for this movie.
Josh Hutcherson stars as Mike Schmidt, a security guard hired to maintain an abandoned Freddy Fazbear's Pizza location. Likewise, Elizabeth Lail plays a local police officer named Vanessa Shelly and Matthew Lillard plays a career counselor named Steve Raglan.
Cameos include YouTubers MatPat and CoryxKenshin as a waiter and a cab driver, respectively. Markiplier was also set to be the security guard preceding Mike Schmidt, but filming for his "Iron Lung" movie conflicted with the "Five Nights at Freddy's" filming schedule.
Series antagonist William Afton also makes an appearance as Springtrap and a lot of the lore surrounding the children whose spirits inhabit the animatronics' bodies is included in the film.
The fan-made song "Five Nights at Freddy's" by The Living Tombstone is even used for the movie's end credits.
And the attention to detail on the animatronics and pizzeria are great too. Jim Henson's Creature Shop made sure the animatronics are accurate to the games, complete with the two rows of teeth. And the pizzeria looked just like it did in the game, minus the power-sucking security doors.
Cawthon previously mentioned that there could be sequels if the movie was successful and Lillard signed a three-movie deal, plus the movie made several times its ~$25 million budget during opening weekend.
I'm excited about the possibility of sequels, especially with all the new locations and cameo opportunities that could arise.
Beyond fleshing out the story, sequels could provide an opportunity for Markiplier and other streamers to be included, not to mention all the other fan-made songs that could be included from artists such as JT Music.
Likewise, each game takes place in different locations in varying states of newness and abandonment, so sequels to the "Five Nights at Freddy's" movie have plenty of material to draw on.
I highly recommend watching "Five Nights at Freddy's" in a theater or on Peacock.
I've never been a big fan of scary movies. They're unnerving, especially at night, and even with my logical adult brain, I still get nervous about strange shadows in the corner.
I even wrote an opinion article about how YouTube needs to stop playing nighttime horror ads, or at least give people the ability to opt out. Which I still stand by, by the way. And yet, I've recently dived into one subgenre of horror without much issue: slashers and gore.
For whatever reason, I've become mostly desensitized to gore, but psychological and supernatural horror still tend to freak me out. So I can watch "Scream," "Texas Chainsaw Massacre," and "Saw," but "Insidious," "The Grudge," and "The Ring" still thoroughly unnerve me.
"The Grudge" and "The Ring" might just be childhood trauma since I watched those a little too early in my life, but the point still stands. Slashers and gore have become a safe subgenre of horror movies thus far, so here's a list of the ones I've watched most recently.
Scream
After seeing Jenna Ortega in "Wednesday" and hearing that she was in the most recent installments of the "Scream" franchise, I decided to get caught up on the series so I'd have an idea of what was going on when I watched the movies featuring her.
Despite all the stabbing, I felt like the first several movies didn't feature too much gore, and it was interesting to dive into the lore of the franchise.
Likewise, it was nice seeing actors and actresses who I've enjoyed in other movies and shows, namely Courtney Cox, Rose McGowan, Carrie Fisher, Jamie Kennedy, Liev Schreiber, Laurie Metcalf, Hayden Panettiere, and Jack Quaid.
It also brought a new appreciation for actors and actresses I wasn't previously aware of, namely Neve Campbell, Jasmin Savoy Brown, and Melissa Barrera.
Also, the series was fascinatingly meta, not only in terms of its movie-within-a-movie theme with the fictional "Stab" movies, but also in terms of how the third "Scream" movie is eerily reminiscent of what was going on with its real-life executive producer Harvey Weinstein.
In relation to that theme, my biggest criticism of the franchise is the victim-blaming and slut-shaming of Maureen Prescott (Lynn McRee).
I think the third movie gives Sydney (Neve Campbell) more sympathy for Maureen, but she and other characters initially dogpiled on the idea that the murders probably wouldn't have happened if Maureen hadn't cheated on her husband, or if she would've been motherly toward Roman (Scott Foley).
I think the winds have changed on that topic in more recent installments, but it hasn't really been acknowledged since, so I guess we'll have to wait and see.
All in all, it's an interesting franchise that I've come to appreciate even with its shortcomings.
Texas Chainsaw Massacre
I've played as Leatherface a couple times in "Mortal Kombat X" and I've watched a few people play the new "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" video game, so with my newfound tolerance of slashers and gore, I decided to watch the original movie.
Maybe it's just the '70s style acting or the fact that we've all been desensitized to older horror content due to the newer horror twists increasing our tolerance for violence, but I actually didn't find the movie scary.
There's just enough gore to unnerve some people, but the blood was kept fairly minimal compared to what was expected, so it wasn't the most difficult horror movie to watch. If it was at all disturbing, I think that's more due to the sheer weirdness of the antagonist characters and the plot.
Everyone in Leatherface's family is psychologically messed up, including him. I haven't watched the rest of the franchise, but I can definitely see where the fodder for the storytelling is coming from.
Saw
The most recent set of gory films I watched was the "Saw" franchise. I've heard about it a million times, particularly references to the puppet, and Hulu was really pushing the series in preparation for "Saw X," so I decided to watch some of the films.
I binged the first four movies, and honestly, I was more fascinated with figuring out the puzzles than anything else. The gore isn't too bad in the first movie, but the sequels tend to get more and more gory in some respects, so watch with caution.
The series isn't scary so much as it is cringe inducing when you experience sympathy pain for whoever gets caught in a trap. I think the worst of those is one scene where someone ends up with a needle in their eye (can't remember which of the four films it's in) and the needle pit scene in "Saw II."
One thing I liked about the franchise was the puzzle solving, particularly in the first movie, and the reveal of who Jigsaw really is, as shown in the video above. The puzzles reminded me of "Resident Evil 7" and the Jigsaw reveal was epic.
I also enjoyed seeing actors from other movies and shows I've watched, namely Cary Elwes, Danny Glover, Donnie Wahlberg, and Scott Patterson.
I'll probably finish the series when I get some free time, but I don't feel a particular rush to do it.
You know, "Ratatouille" has never really been one of my "favorite" Disney/Pixar movies, but I do have to acknowledge the impact it's had on me and others.
The story of a rat puppeteering a famous chef's son to help them both live out their restaurant-related dreams is wild and whimsical on its own, plus there's the sense of care and attention to detail in the way Pixar animates the movie, especially where the food is concerned.
I legitimately wanted to try all the food in the movie after watching "Ratatouille" for the first time. I wasn't even disappointed to discover that despite appearances, ratatouille is made with tomatoes and not pepperoni.
I also think a lot of scenes fit a warm, cozy fall vibe, particularly the one in the video above that features the food critic reliving a seasonally appropriate memory from his childhood after he takes a bite of the ratatouille.
Likewise, I even went through a phase of experimenting with food after watching the movie. In one prime example, I added Goldfish crackers to my grilled cheese sandwiches—which actually isn't bad, by the way, but I never really figured out the proper ratio of Goldfish to add to each sandwich.
And apparently, the movie is still reasonably popular.
When I had a movie day planned for my class, I asked my students to suggest movie ideas based on which streaming services I had access to, one of which was Disney+. "Ratatouille" was a genuine contender before getting beaten out by "Ice Age."
I was teaching a college English class, by the way, so these were options picked by people in their late teens and early 20s. Plus one nontraditional student who was probably around 40.
But I think that really speaks to the timelessness and overall popularity of "Ratatouille." If it managed to get me into an experimental cooking phase, I can only imagine how many real chefs the movie probably inspired.
The following movies, whether standalone or part of a series, all feature men dressing in drag for roles that have become iconic over time. And they're all personal favorites of mine.
Madea
Tyler Perry's performance as Mabel "Madea" Simmons is one of the most convincing drag portrayals I've ever seen. I sometimes forget that Madea is being played by a man while watching.
Perry really fleshed out Madea's mannerisms and personality, and the costuming is perfect; the wig, makeup application, jewelry, and modest yet feminine outfit choices really tie the character together and help hide anything that might shatter the illusion.
Just look at the scene above from "Madea's Family Reunion" where she tries to avoid becoming a foster mother by ranting about how God gave women menopause for a reason. The comedic portrayal is flawless.
Mrs. Doubtfire
It comes as no surprise that Robin Williams used his keen impression acting skills to create such a convincing character when he portrayed the titular character in "Mrs. Doubtfire."
Between the costuming and mannerisms, you really wouldn't know that Mrs. Doubtfire was portrayed by Williams if you didn't see the transformation and other small hints that are intentionally slipped in for comedic effect.
If Williams was still with us, I'd pay to see a collaboration between him, Tyler Perry, the Wayans brothers, and Brendan O'Carroll.
White Chicks
Marlon and Shawn Wayans may not always be accurate in their portrayal of women in "White Chicks," with the duo going back and forth between exaggerations and the bare minimum, but the effort is clear, and the movie actually does address some of women's interests and insecurities.
Likewise, despite the uncanny valley effect of their masks—which was explained away as being the result of "plastic surgery"—the duo does pull off a convincing performance with regard to style and mannerisms.
And, I have to admit, they've got us pegged regarding the obsession with Vanessa Carlton's "A Thousand Miles." But to be fair, part of why I like the song so much is because of how it's used in the movie, especially in the scene with Terry Crews' character.
One thing is for certain though, all of these movies and their respective drag portrayals are iconic aspects of pop culture.
"No One Will Save You," a movie about a town pariah trying to fend off an alien invasion, released as a Hulu original on Sept. 22.
Kaitlyn Dever stars as Brynn Adams, a young woman who lives alone and who has been socially isolated from her community in the wake of an incident that led to the death of her best friend Maude roughly a decade earlier.
Literally, when people see Brynn walking down the street, they give her pointed looks before immediately turning to ignore her. When I say she's hated by the community, I mean she is well and truly hated.
Even after getting the context clues about what exactly happened to Maude, I still couldn't comprehend anyone other than perhaps Maude's parents hating Brynn that much, and even their hatred seemed pretty aggressive all things considered.
I almost didn't care about the alien invasion storyline at times because I spent so much time literally saying out loud, "What did you do? Why does everyone hate you this much?"
That said, the aliens were pretty fascinating. Many of the aliens presented as typical greys, but some of them were actually pretty creatively designed and it left me wondering if there was any lore about different subspecies and their respective purposes.
Aside from the standard design, there were also aliens that had shortened limbs, lengthy spider-like limbs, and even some that looked like sea urchins with facehugger properties. They all still seemed to stem from the same overarching species though.
Another fascinating aspect of the film is the fact that there's almost no dialogue. Sometimes you'll hear other characters say something short like "oh, yeah" in the background, but even then, it's distant or muffled. Likewise, Brynn only says one or two lines of dialogue near the end of the film.
At first glance, this might seem uninteresting or unnatural, but the lack of dialogue actually makes sense for most of the movie. After all, Brynn spends much of the movie alone, ignored, or hiding from the aliens, so it makes sense that there's little to no dialogue.
And even without the dialogue, Dever's visual acting is on point and makes you relate to Brynn as a character. Plus, the movie is only 93 minutes long, so it's not as drawn out as you may initially worry it is. It gives the movie an artistic feel.
Artistic films aren't for everyone, but I highly recommend giving "No One Will Save You" the old college try. Even though it's not exactly my typical kind of movie, I really appreciated the way it was crafted and the performances of the actors.
When you think of characters reciting Walt Whitman's poetry in "Dead Poets Society," you probably think of the scene where the students stand on their desks repeating "O Captain! My Captain!" near the end of the film, seen in the video below.
But another underrated Whitman poem partially recited in the film is "O Me! O Life!" John Keating (Robin Williams) recites the poem as he's telling his students about the importance of poetry.
He says, "Medicine, law, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for."
Then he goes on to quote the poem, which features a particularly poignant line about how "the powerful play goes on, and you may contribute a verse," and he asks the students what their verse will be, as shown in the video below.
This is an excellent illustration of the power of poetry and it's also a great example of how to get students interested in a subject they might otherwise overlook.
Granted, not every teacher has the charisma of Robin Williams, and even those who do might come across a little eccentric, but being passionate about a subject and drawing connections to students' other interests is a skill all teachers should strive for.
I've been teaching college English composition classes for nearly a year and a half, and I've found that some of my best lectures are the ones where I ask students to draw on their interests, and where I share how I've applied essay-writing skills to my own interests.
When Williams' character acknowledges the students' other interests such as medical school and business school and then tries to connect them back to the poetry, he employs a useful teaching skill and emphasizes poetry's importance.
The scene tends to take a backseat to others, particularly the "O Captain! My Captain!" theme that runs throughout the movie, but "O Me! O Life!" and its use in this scene deserves to be given props.
When I decided to have a fashion-themed week and write about "The Devil Wears Prada," the first thing that came to mind was Miranda Priestly's (Meryl Streep) iconic cerulean sweater speech, shown in the video above.
Even 17 years after the release of "The Devil Wears Prada," the scene sticks out to me. And I'm not alone in my interest: the speech has its own dedicated section on the movie's Wikipedia page with a range of article references from both journalists and people within the fashion industry.
While the movie's reference to specific collections that popularized the use of cerulean are entirely fictional, the concept stands: in some cases, there's a trickle-down effect in regard to high fashion eventually making its way to everyday fashion.
There are cases where the reverse is true, like designers being inspired by streetwear and the "trickle-up" effect of small brands becoming so popular they're no longer affordable for their original customer base.
Even still, the scene is so memorable because it's an epic takedown that forces Andy (Anne Hathaway) to rethink her perspective on fashion and why the industry is so particular in its choices. And let's be honest, we all love a good dragging every now and then.
It's also fun for the sake of character development to watch prickly characters having scenes like the cerulean sweater speech contrasted with their softer scenes.
Watching Miranda go from the cerulean sweater scene to her more vulnerable scene describing her divorce and then seeing the final scene where she smiles to herself after seeing Andy showcases different sides to the character.
One way or another, the cerulean sweater scene lives rent-free in my mind to this day.
Fanfiction has become increasingly popular in recent years, and sometimes it even gets converted into new, seemingly original content. Let's take a look at some movies that are based on or inspired by fanfiction.
Fifty Shades of Grey
As I'm sure everyone knows by now, "Fifty Shades of Grey" is an erotic BDSM movie trilogy based on books of the same name by E.L. James. And those books are based on "Twilight" fanfiction.
While the quality of the narrative may be questionable, Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan's performances as Anna Steele and Christian Grey, respectively, were of solid quality. So props to those two and the rest of the cast.
And yes, I actually do have a solid working knowledge of both the books and the movies. In a bizarre incident, I spotted an acquaintance of mine reading "Fifty Shades of Grey" in my middle school cafeteria. Why a girl her age was reading that, especially out in the open at a school in notoriously religious Utah, I may never know.
I was previously unaware of the series and couldn't exactly glean much from the grey tie on the cover. So I asked her what it was about, and her response was to peer her eyes over the book, wiggle her eyebrows suggestively, and say, "You'll have to read it to find out."
And now I've read all three books in the trilogy and watched all three movies. The sexual scenes don't really spark my interest, but the plot itself is wild and fun bad. Anna's inner monologue in the books, the inaccurate depiction of BDSM, figuring out which "Fifty Shades" characters correspond with which "Twilight" characters.
Also, mad respect to Anna's friend Kate (Eloise Mumford) for consistently calling Christian out and being the funniest character in the books for the right reasons. At least until "Fifty Shades Freed" when she just sort of stops questioning everything. Also props to Christian's mom (Marcia Gay Harden) for confronting Mrs. Robinson (Kim Basinger).
After
The entire "After" movie series is based in Harry Styles fanfiction. And it's not subtle, either, since the character based on Styles is named Hardin Scott and other characters based on the members of One Direction also have names starting with the same letters as their real-life counterparts.
I haven't watched any of the movies since I feel like fanfiction based on real people is a little weird, not to mention that toxic romances aren't exactly my cup of tea, but it's clearly loved by a lot of people since the fifth installment in the series, "After Everything," comes out this week.
Everything I've heard about the series sort of sounds like the dynamic in "Fifty Shades," but with less sex scenes and not as much "fun bad" value. I might just watch it anyway since it seems so popular, but I make no promises.
The Mortal Instruments
While "The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones," based on the novel of the same name by Cassandra Clare, isn't directly a fanfiction itself, it apparently does draw a lot of inspiration from Clare's days writing fanfiction stories such as "The Draco Trilogy."
I've watched the movie, and while it didn't draw me in as much as "The Hunger Games," "Divergent," "Harry Potter," or the endless list of other teen movies coming out around that time, I did think it had its moments, especially with the soundtrack. Demi Lovato's "Heart by Heart" in particular is a favorite song of mine.
The end of the movie does feel mildly disturbing if you haven't read the books though. The way Clary (Lily Collins) rides off with Jace (Jamie Campbell Bower) feels romantic, which is weird because at that point they've been falsely led to believe that they're siblings.
That isn't actually true, and they're actively doubting it, but that's what they've been told at that point, so it's a little weird.
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
At first glance, you might not think of "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies" as fanfiction. Just a parody, or a new spin on an old classic. But that's essentially what fanfiction is.
"Pride and Prejudice and Zombies" just gets to use the actual characters and settings commercially without paying royalties because the original Jane Austen novel is in the public domain.
And while I haven't gotten to watch the movie myself yet, it's one I look forward to because of its creative AU (alternate universe) take. It's literally just "Pride and Prejudice" set in a world facing a zombie apocalypse.
"Polite Society" is a 2023 action-comedy film about a British-Pakistani teenager, Ria Khan (Priya Kansara), who tries to stop her sister Lena (Ritu Arya) from marrying into a family with nefarious intentions, all while pursuing her dream to eventually become a stuntwoman.
Ria initially has a close relationship with Lena, who has recently dropped out of art school and spends most of her time either trying to spark her creativity or helping Ria film stunt videos.
Ria and Lena are both discouraged from pursuing their dreams by their traditional parents, and Ria also receives discouragement from both her teachers and her school bully Kovacs (Shona Babayemi). Likewise, Ria's attempts to make famous stuntwoman Eunice Huthart her mentor go unanswered.
Then Lena is set up with successful geneticist Salim (Akshay Khanna) at an Eid Mubarak celebration hosted by Salim's mother Raheela (Nimra Bucha), and Ria spends the rest of the film trying to break them up because she's worried Lena will give up on her dreams, only to discover there's an even bigger reason to break them up.
I won't ruin the plot twist, but it's wild. As are so many other parts of the movie.
Before the plot twist even occurred, one of the wildest parts of the movie for me was when Ria and Lena got into a massive fight about Ria's attempt to scope out Salim at his gym.
At that point, all Lena knew was that Ria had talked to Salim at the gym and she immediately came in hot with an angry confrontation over it, then when the argument escalated, she started an all-out fist fight with Ria. Wildly entertaining, but also completely uncalled for with the limited amount of information she had at the time.
Regardless, the wild escalations and drama in the movie made for a great time, and the movie actually ended up feeling like a somewhat grounded superhero origin story for Ria. The critical consensus on Rotten Tomatoes even calls the movie "a fun film that blends Bollywood splendor and British wryness."
I also thoroughly enjoyed Nimra Bucha's performance as antagonist Raheela, especially after previously seeing her in a similarly antagonistic role in "Ms. Marvel" last year. I hope to see her in more roles in the future.
Likewise, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention Ria's friends Clara (Seraphina Beh) and Alba (Ella Bruccoleri), who provided amazing comedic and plot-driven support throughout the movie, as well as Ria's parents Fatima (Shobu Kapoor) and Rafe (Jeff Mirza).
"Polite Society" is a strong directorial debut for writer/director Nida Manzoor. I greatly enjoyed every second of the wild ride the movie took me on. I'll definitely be looking out for her other content going forward.
If this review piques your interest in the least, I highly suggest watching "Polite Society" on Peacock or buying or renting the movie wherever else you can find it.
Seeing as the 20-year anniversary of "Mean Girls" is coming in eight months, it seems only fitting to talk about the cultural staple to kick off our "Back to School" week.
For those who don't know, "Mean Girls" is a 2004 movie about Cady Heron (Lindsey Lohan), who enrolls in a U.S. public high school for the first time after being homeschooled in Africa for 12 years. She then works to fit in, initially befriending two social outcasts before infiltrating the popular "Plastics" clique.
During the course of the movie, Cady starts to lose both her friends and her sense of self in pursuit of revenge, popularity, belonging, and queen bee Regina George's (Rachel McAdams) boyfriend Aaron Samuels (Jonathan Bennett).
While some aspects of the movie feel exaggerated or situation-specific, it really does capture the spirit of how vicious teenage girls can be toward one another as they form and navigate social cliques in high school.
This makes sense given that "Mean Girls" is based on both screenwriter Tina Fey's high school experiences and Rosalind Wiseman's 2002 parenting book "Queen Bees and Wannabes."
And practically every line in the movie is quotable, no matter how big or small. I still quote the movie regularly, as do a lot of people I know, and the quotes never seem to go over anyone's head, especially the most notable ones like "fetch!"
"Mean Girls" has stood the test of time and popularity, spawning sequels, musicals, video games, themed merchandise, and songs, among other things.
In the last few years alone, The New Yorker ranked Lohan's performance No. 11 for the 21st century, Rolling Stone ranked the movie No. 20 comedy of the century, and Indie Wire ranked the movie No. 12 comedy of the century.
Even yesterday, when asking others what their favorite school themed movie is, the first response I got was "Mean Girls."
"Mean Girls" is evergreen and endlessly quotable and enjoyable. Anyone who hasn't seen the movie should, and anyone who has might want to rewatch it for the back-to-school vibes.
To start off our themed week of summer classics, let's talk about a movie I've avoided like the plague for roughly a decade.
"High School Musical 2" is an undisputed classic of Disney Channel Original Movies (DCOMs), and I've never expressly hated it, but my Zac Efron-loving sister insisted on rewatching it so many times that I came to view it as an overrated chore of a movie and did my best to avoid watching it.
But with all these years of distance, the release of new content and tributes from "HSMTMTS," and my own proximity to the filming location and people with behind-the-scenes stories, I've given into the nostalgia and decided to rewatch "High School Musical 2."
As I watched, all the previous annoyance that stemmed from watching the movie a million times was completely gone and I was able to enjoy "High School Musical 2" for what it is: a classic DCOM with solid music and performance quality that goes all in on the musical campiness, complete with the first use of Zac Efron's real singing voice and a finale number that includes Miley Cyrus in the background.
Despite all the years I avoided the movie itself, I couldn't really stay away from listening to songs like "Fabulous," "I Don't Dance," and "Bet on It." Those ear worms are too good to stay away from, and it was good to watch them in context of the movie again.
Even when the realism varies and the sky clearly jumps back and forth between different times of day or cloud conditions, the overall quality is still solid even in 2023. Plus, it's even a little fun picking out those small details.
It's especially amusing to notice the implication that East High and Lava Springs are only a short drive from each other even though the filming locations are actually separated by a five-hour drive. Or that the Evans family imports turkey from Maine when there are turkeys that wander the local area.
Sharpay looks at turkey imported from Maine during her song "Fabulous" (Disney/YouTube). A turkey wanders on a roof in Hurricane, Utah, in May 2020, less than 20 miles away from the movie's filming location.
It's also fun to pick apart the ongoing debates about the movie's plot. People often like to joke about whether Sharpay (Ashley Tisdale) is really the villain since she's providing Troy (Zac Efron) with a job and other opportunities for his future. And the answer is yes, she's still the movie's main villain.
All the opportunities Sharpay gives Troy don't make up for the fact that she's doing it quid pro quo—she expects things in return, like forcing him to spend time with her off the clock, expecting him to sing on a whim, and touching him and ignoring his boundaries in a way that makes him visibly uncomfortable.
Between Sharpay's violations of Troy's boundaries and the way she treats the other Lava Springs employees, she and her parents would probably be held liable in a slew of workplace harassment lawsuits in real life. That said, even though Sharpay's the main problem, she isn't the only one.
Everyone achieves various degrees of ignorant or jerk behavior at some point during the movie.
For example, Troy knowingly breaking the rules about using the golf course and pool for his dates with Gabriella (Vanessa Hudgens) when he knows there's a three-strike system in place that seems to apply to everyone but him is certainly a choice.
It also seems like Coach Bolton (Bart Johnson) hasn't learned much from the previous movie when it comes to the way he judges decisions about Troy's social life and future. When Troy mentions he's concerned about how his job opportunities are impacting his friendships, his dad doesn't ask for any clarification, he just advises Troy to keep his eyes on the prize.
Likewise, Taylor (Monique Coleman) starts warning Gabriella about the signs of a bad boyfriend after Troy is late to only one date, and pretty much all of the Wildcats start feeling animosity toward Troy before Troy even starts acting like a jerk.
Granted, Troy does start acting like a jerk when he needlessly blows them off several scenes later, but the tension seems to start before that, when the Wildcats are frustrated because they have to work while they're at work.
Everyone—including Sharpay—finds some way to make up for their respective flawed behavior by the end of the movie, whether through apologies or actions, and they all sing together for the talent show, but no one's really a saint.
But none of that really matters since it's classic Disney camp that should deal a dose of nostalgia or give a family-friendly chuckle. I definitely recommend a rewatch if you haven't seen "High School Musical 2" in a while.
